Coin ceremony to turn heads

INDIANAPOLIS -- For all the hoopla and security, you'd think George Washington himself was going to step out of the Brinks truck and cross the finish line at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Washington will be there in spirit Thursday, gracing the "heads" side of Indiana's race car commemorative quarter being released to the public that day in big numbers -- and a big way. There will be pace cars and race cars, a children's choir and a high school band, bigwigs like Gov. Frank O'Bannon and IRL president Tony George, songs and speeches, and a line that puts Indiana on the world map one day every May: "Gentlemen, start your engines." It might only be a coin, but Indiana is going all out for its debut. "This is something that only comes along once in a lifetime," said Mark Duray, director of the Speedway High School band. "I told my kids, 'Hey, this is a big deal. I mean, they're breaking out the governor for this.'" The speedway in Speedway is a natural host for the pomp and circumstance, since the quarter features a modern day Indy race car imposed over an outline of the state. "In Indiana, we pride ourselves on being the center of racing in the United States, so we take great pride in being on the quarter and also having the unveiling of the quarter here," said Speedway spokesman Fred Nation, who was press secretary to Evan Bayh during his eight years as governor. There is a circle of 19 stars on the left side of the coin signifying Indiana becoming the 19th state in 1816. That date is on the coin, along with the state's motto of "Crossroads of America." Indiana's is the 19th commemorative quarter issued by the U.S. Mint, keeping its practice of producing the state quarters in order of their entry into the union. Mississippi will be next, and the last this year. The number produced will depend on demand, according to a spokeswoman at the mint. So far they have ranged from a low of about 632 million for Ohio's quarter to a high of nearly 1.6 billion for Virginia's. Production of the Indiana quarter began July 22 and is expected to continue through late September. The coins will be available at 13 state parks and at the Indiana State Fair starting at noon Thursday, about two hours after an armored Brinks truck delivers the first big batch for circulation at the speedway. With the cue of "gentlemen, start your engines," from Indiana first lady Judy O'Bannon, a small parade of four pace cars, the Brinks truck and a two-seater Indy race car will start tooling from the fourth turn on the track toward the legendary row of bricks that marks the start-finish line. U.S. Mint Director Henrietta Holsman-Fore will be in one pace car, and O'Bannon will be in the back seat of the Indy car driven by open-wheel racer Mark Dismore, an Indiana native, or Sarah Fisher, an Ohio native who now calls Indianapolis home. There will be some short speeches, and the Indianapolis Children's Choir will sing "Back Home Again in Indiana." After the ceremony, people will be encouraged to visit a merchandise area at the Pagoda Plaza. The first 2,000 kids will get free quarters, courtesy of the mint. If there are still coins left, adults can get one free. The quarters also will be on sale, with Indiana State Police providing security. Cheryl Reed, an aide to the governor who helped organize the festivities, cited security reasons for declining to specify how many quarters will be available at the Speedway. "I will say that we're anticipating a crowd of 4,000 people, and we don't plan on running out of quarters," she said. O'Bannon dismissed any notion that the state was going overboard with all this. "In just a few days there will be a little piece of Indiana in the pockets of people across the world," the governor said. "I think their debut party ought to be something to remember."